Your guide to the most common styles of practice so you can get to the right class in confidence

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Origin: In 1973, Choudhury Bikram brought this form of "hot yoga" to the United States, quickly attracting celebrities and hoards of devotees to create a multi-million dollar worldwide franchise.

Philosophy: More like boot camp than mediation hour, the goal of this vigorous form of yoga, according to Bikram, is simply to give organs, veins, muscles, and ligaments "everything they need for optimum health and maximized function."

What to Expect: Skip the yoga leggings and opt for shorts and a sports bra. The room is heated to 105 degrees to help you stretch deeper and release more toxins through a systematic routine of 26 set poses repeated throughout the strenuous 90-minute class.